Systems and methods for parallax compensation

ABSTRACT

An electronic device may include a touch screen electronic display configured to offset and/or shift the contact locations of touch implements and/or displayed content based on one or more calculated parallax values. The parallax values may be associated with the viewing angle of an operator relative to the display of the electronic device. In various embodiments, the parallax value(s) may be calculated using three-dimensional location sensors, an angle of inclination of a touch implement, and/or one or more displayed calibration objects. Parallax values may be utilized to remap contact locations by a touch implement, shift and/or offset displayed content, and/or perform other transformations as described herein. A stereoscopically displayed content may be offset such that a default display plane is coplanar with a touch surface rather than a display surface. Contacts by a finger may be remapped using portions of the contact region and/or a centroid of the contact region.

If an Application Data Sheet (ADS) has been filed on the filing date ofthis application, it is incorporated by reference herein. Anyapplications claimed on the ADS for priority under 35 U.S.C. §§119, 120,121, or 365(c), and any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of such applications, are also incorporated byreference, including any priority claims made in those applications andany material incorporated by reference, to the extent such subjectmatter is not inconsistent herewith.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and/or claims the benefit of theearliest available effective filing date(s) from the following listedapplication(s) (the “Priority Applications”), if any, listed below(e.g., claims earliest available priority dates for other thanprovisional patent applications or claims benefits under 35 USC §119(e)for provisional patent applications, for any and all parent,grandparent, great-grandparent, etc. applications of the PriorityApplication(s)). In addition, the present application is related to the“Related Applications,” if any, listed below.

PRIORITY APPLICATIONS

NONE

RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR PARALLAX COMPENSATION, naming Steven Bathiche, Jesse R. Cheatham,Paul H. Dietz, Matthew G. Dyor, Philip A. Eckhoff, Anoop Gupta, KennethP. Hinckley, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, CraigJ. Mundie, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Andreas G. Nowatzyk, Robert C. Petroski,Danny A. Reed, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Victoria Y. H.Wood, and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed Mar. 15, 2013, withattorney docket no. 46076/103, is related to the present application.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled SYSTEMS AND METHODSFOR PARALLAX COMPENSATION, naming Steven Bathiche, Jesse R. Cheatham,Paul H. Dietz, Matthew G. Dyor, Philip A. Eckhoff, Anoop Gupta, KennethP. Hinckley, Roderick A. Hyde, Muriel Y. Ishikawa, Jordin T. Kare, CraigJ. Mundie, Nathan P. Myhrvold, Andreas G. Nowatzyk, Robert C. Petroski,Danny A. Reed, Clarence T. Tegreene, Charles Whitmer, Victoria Y. H.Wood, and Lowell L. Wood, Jr. as inventors, filed Mar. 15, 2013, withattorney docket no. 46076/104, is related to the present application.

The United States Patent Office (USPTO) has published a notice to theeffect that the USPTO's computer programs require that patent applicantsreference both a serial number and indicate whether an application is acontinuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parentapplication. Stephen G. Kunin, Benefit of Prior-Filed Application, USPTOOfficial Gazette Mar. 18, 2003. The USPTO further has provided forms forthe Application Data Sheet which allow automatic loading ofbibliographic data but which require identification of each applicationas a continuation, continuation-in-part, or divisional of a parentapplication. The present Applicant Entity (hereinafter “Applicant”) hasprovided above a specific reference to the application(s) from whichpriority is being claimed as recited by statute. Applicant understandsthat the statute is unambiguous in its specific reference language anddoes not require either a serial number or any characterization, such as“continuation” or “continuation-in-part,” for claiming priority to U.S.patent applications. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Applicantunderstands that the USPTO's computer programs have certain data entryrequirements, and hence Applicant has provided designation(s) of arelationship between the present application and its parentapplication(s) as set forth above and in any ADS filed in thisapplication, but expressly points out that such designation(s) are notto be construed in any way as any type of commentary and/or admission asto whether or not the present application contains any new matter inaddition to the matter of its parent application(s).

If the listings of applications provided above are inconsistent with thelistings provided via an ADS, it is the intent of the Applicant to claimpriority to each application that appears in the Priority Applicationssection of the ADS and to each application that appears in the PriorityApplications section of this application.

All subject matter of the Priority Applications and the RelatedApplications and of any and all parent, grandparent, great-grandparent,etc. applications of the Priority Applications and the RelatedApplications, including any priority claims, is incorporated herein byreference to the extent such subject matter is not inconsistentherewith.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates to parallax compensation for touch screendisplays. Specifically, this disclosure relates to corrections,adjustments, and transformations of touch contacts and/or displayedobjects on a touch screen device.

SUMMARY

Touch screen electronic devices may be viewed at multiple viewingangles. A touch screen electronic device may include an electronicdisplay, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode(LED) display, organic LED (OLED) displays, and/or other display types.A touch screen digitizer may be aligned with the electronic display andconfigured to receive touch inputs via a touch implement, such as astylus or finger. The electronic display and the touch screen digitizermay be integrated as a single component or as separate components of theelectronic devices. The touch screen digitizer may include a touchsurface, such as glass or acrylic, configured to receive the directcontacts from the touch implement. The distance between the touchsurface and the surface of the electronic display may vary depending onthe type of electronic device, the size of the components, the method ofconstruction, the thickness of the touch surface, and/or other designand construction factors.

Locations on the touch surface of the touch screen digitizer may beperpendicularly aligned with locations on the electronic display. Acontact on the touch surface may be mapped perpendicularly to acorresponding location on the surface of the electronic display. Forexample, if an operator of the electronic device desires to select anobject displayed on the electronic display, the operator may touch (viaa finger, stylus, or other touch implement) a location perpendicular tothe displayed object on the touch surface of the touch screen digitizer.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, a parallax effect maybe introduced depending on the viewing angle of the operator relative tothe touch surface of the touch screen digitizer and the electronicdisplay. A parallax value associated with an operator's viewing anglerelative to the touch surface and electronic display may correspond tothe difference between the location on the touch surface perpendicularto a displayed object and the perceived location on the touch surfacecorresponding to the displayed object. The perceived location on thetouch surface may be along the line of sight extending from one or botheyes of the operator to the displayed object.

In some embodiments, the parallax value may be calculated based onlocation information of a head and/or eyes of the operator relative tothe electronic display. A three-dimensional location sensor may be usedto determine the location information of the head and/or eyes of theoperator. The calculated parallax value may be used to map a detectedcontact on the touch surface to an intended contact location on theelectronic display and/or a location on the touch surface perpendicularto the intended contact location on the electronic display.

The parallax value may alternatively or additionally be used to shiftdisplayed content based on the parallax value. For example, an objectmay be displayed at a perceived contact location as opposed to thelocation on the electronic display perpendicular to the actual contactby a touch implement on the touch surface. Similarly, displayed contentmay be dragged, shifted, moved, and/or otherwise manipulated on theelectronic display from one or more perceived contact locations to otherperceived contact locations based on the calculated parallax value andthe detected contact(s) by the touch implement with the touch surface.

In some embodiments, displayed content may be shifted on the electronicdisplay as the head and/or the eyes of the operator move relative to theelectronic display. For example, a contact by a touch implement with thetouch surface may correspond to a displayed object. The displayed objectmay, according to any of the embodiments described herein, be shiftedand/or offset by a calculated parallax value such that the contact pointof the touch implement with the touch surface is perceived by theoperator as contacting the displayed object. As the head and/or eyes ofthe operator are moved relative to the electronic device (whether due tomovement of the operator and/or movement of the electronic device) thedisplayed object may be shifted and/or offset to maintain the perceptionthat the contact point of the touch implement contacts the displayedobject.

As described herein, in some embodiments, the parallax value may becalculated using a three-dimensional location sensor to determinethree-dimensional location information associated with the head and/oreyes of the operator. In other embodiments, the electronic device mayinclude a calibration mode configured to calculate one or more parallaxvalues. The calibration mode may be seamlessly integrated within thenormal operator of the electronic device so as to be unobtrusive or maybe an explicitly selected mode. By requesting (explicitly or implicitly)the operator to select one or more buttons, icons, or other displayedobjects, the electronic device may compare an actual contact location ofthe touch implement with the touch surface to the location on the touchsurface perpendicular to the displayed button, icon, or other displayedobject. The difference between the location on the touch surfaceperpendicular to the displayed button, icon, or other displayed objectand the actual/detected contact location of the touch implement with thetouch surface may be used to determine a parallax value.

In some embodiments, a parallax value may be calculated using locationinformation determined by a three-dimensional location sensor and/or viadisplayed calibration content for one or more potential contactlocations on the touch surface of the electronic device. In someembodiments, a parallax value may be calculated for every potentialcontact location on the touch surface of the electronic device. In otherembodiments, one or more calculated parallax values for one or morecontact locations may be used to derive parallax values for one or moreother potential contact locations.

In one embodiment, a stereoscopic display may be utilized to offset thedefault depth of the three-dimensional display to be coplanar with thetouch surface. According to such an embodiment, two-dimensional contentmay be stereoscopically displayed to “pop” out in a default positionsuch that the displayed content is perceived as being displayed coplanarwith the surface of the touch surface, such that a contact on the touchsurface by a touch implement is perceived as directly contacting thedisplayed content perpendicular to the detected contact location of thetouch implement on the touch surface. In a three-dimensional display,the default or rest depth of the displayed content may be offset so asto be coplanar with the touch surface. Any of the embodiments describedherein may additionally be employed to offset, shift, or selectdisplayed content that is displayed as popped out or pushed in relativeto the default or rest depth of the three-dimensionally displayedcontent. For example, content that is displayed as pushed in may beselected by a contact by a touch implement on the touch surface alongthe line of sight of the operator to the displayed content using any ofthe embodiments described herein, such as three-dimensional headlocation information or calibration results. Content that is displayedas coplanar to the touch surface may be selected by a perceived directcontact with the displayed object at the touch surface.

Alternatively or additionally, one or more parallax values may becalculated and/or derived based on location information of the operatorand an angle of inclination of the stylus relative to the electronicdisplay. As may be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the size,shape, and/or angle of inclination of a touch implement, such as afinger or stylus, may affect the line of sight drawn between the eyes ofthe operator, the contact point (or perceived contact point) of thefinger or stylus, and the intended object or location on the electronicdisplay. Accordingly, the parallax value associated with displayedcontent and/or contact locations may be determined, at least partially,based on the angle of inclination of the touch implement relative to theelectronic display.

Additionally, the contact region of a finger contact with the touchsurface may be offset, shifted, and/or used to offset and/or shiftdisplayed content based on a mapping of the contact region of the fingercontact with the touch surface. Variations of the above embodiments,including various combinations thereof, are contemplated and selectivelydescribed in greater detail below. Various benefits, advantages,solutions to problems, embodiments, and potential combinations ofembodiments are described herein. However, the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the explicitly described examples andembodiments and should, instead, be determined by the claims providedherein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a three-dimensional location sensor of an electronicdevice used to calculate a parallax value associated with the viewingangle of the operator.

FIG. 2 illustrates dual three-dimensional location sensors of anelectronic device used to calculate a parallax value associated with theviewing angle of the operator.

FIG. 3 illustrates a relatively large electronic device configured witha three-dimensional location sensor for calculating a plurality ofparallax values associated with the viewing angles of the operator.

FIG. 4A illustrates a contact by a touch implement to input an objectfor display along a line of sight of an operator, the displayed objectoffset using a parallax value.

FIG. 4B illustrates the contact location of a touch implement remappedto correspond to the intended contact location using the calculatedparallax value.

FIG. 5A illustrates a line of sight of an operator contacting a touchsurface with a touch implement intending to contact a displayed object.

FIG. 5B illustrates a side view of the line of sight of the operatorcontacting the touch surface with the touch implement.

FIG. 6 illustrates a displayed object requesting an operator input via atouch implement, the input used to determine a parallax value.

FIG. 7 illustrates another displayed object requesting an operator inputvia a touch implement in a second location for determining a secondparallax value.

FIG. 8 illustrates a drawing interface configured to utilize contacts bya touch implement to select application specific settings and todetermine one or more parallax values.

FIG. 9 illustrates an electronic device configured to calculate one ormore parallax values using location information of an operator inconjunction with an angle of inclination of a touch implement relativeto an electronic display.

FIG. 10A illustrates a finger contact of a finger of an operator along aline of sight of the operator with a displayed object, the fingercontact offset from the contact location perpendicular to the displayedobject.

FIG. 10B illustrates the finger contact remapped to the contact locationperpendicular to the displayed object using a calculated parallax valuebased on three-dimensional location information of the operator.

FIG. 10C illustrates a centroid of the finger contact being mapped fromthe actual contact location on the touch surface to the contact locationperpendicular to the displayed object on the touch surface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Using a default mapping, locations on the touch surface of a touchscreen digitizer may be perpendicularly mapped to correspond tolocations on an electronic display of an electronic device. Accordingly,a contact on the touch surface may be mapped perpendicularly to adisplayed object or contact location on the electronic display. Thus, ifan operator of the electronic device desires to select an objectdisplayed on the electronic display, the operator may touch (via afinger, stylus, or other touch implement) a location perpendicular tothe displayed object on the touch surface of the touch screen digitizer.

If an operator is not perpendicularly aligned with the intended contactlocation or displayed object, a parallax effect associated with anoperator's viewing angle may result in errors, such as accidentalselections and/or erroneous contact locations. According to variousembodiments described herein, a parallax value may be calculated andused to offset or shift contact locations and/or to offset or shiftdisplayed content. The parallax value may correspond to the differencebetween the location on the touch surface perpendicular to a displayedobject and the perceived location on the touch surface corresponding tothe displayed object. The perceived location on the touch surface may bealong the line of sight extending from one or both eyes of the operatorto the displayed object or intended contact location.

In various embodiments, the parallax value may be calculated usinglocation information of a head and/or eyes of the operator relative tothe electronic display. For example, knowledge of an angle, θ, between anormal vector of a display and a line-of-sight vector from a location onthe display to the head/eyes of an operator and the perpendicularseparation, h, between the touch screen's surface and that of thealigned electronic display can be used to calculate a parallax value.The normal vector of the display may be defined as the directionperpendicular to the touch screen's surface, which in many instances,may be approximately equivalent to that of the aligned electronicdisplay. The parallax value, for example, may be expressed as a distanceoffset, d, and be calculated by: d=h tan θ.

The direction of the parallax relative to the axes of the electronicdisplay may be defined with respect to an azimuth angle φ of theline-of-sight vector relative to the axes of the electronic display. Forinstance, unit vector x can denote a horizontal axis within the plane ofthe display surface, unit vector y can denote a vertical axis within theplane of the display surface. A unit vector z may then denote the normalunit vector perpendicular to the display surface. A line-of-sight unitvector from a location on the display to the head of an operator can bedenoted as v, which may be expressed in terms of θ and φ by: v=x sin θcos φ+y sin θ sin φ+z cos θ.

The angle θ may be determined via cos θ=v·z. As described above, theabsolute distance offset, d, can be determined via d=h tan θ. Thedistance offset may lie along horizontal direction x, vertical directiony, or a combination thereof. In many instances, the distance offset mayinclude both horizontal and vertical components. The horizontalcomponent of the distance offset may be defined as d_(x)=d cos φ, andthe vertical component of the distance offset can be defined as d_(y)=dsin φ. The components d_(x) and d_(y) may both be multiplied by apositive or a minus sign depending upon convention used to define thepolarity of the distance offset. Alternatively, the components d_(x) andd_(y) may be defined in terms of quadrants with respect to a location onthe electronic display or the touch surface intersecting theline-of-sight vectors.

The line-of-sight unit vector v can be determined from knowledge of thelocation of the head of the operator R in three-dimensional space andthat of a location on the surface of the display r by first determiningtheir three-dimensional vector separation, V_(s)=R−r, and thennormalizing this into the product of a range R and the line-of-sightunit vector v by R=|V_(s)| and v=V_(s)/R. Then v can be used todetermine d, d_(x), and d_(y), by solving for the angles θ and φ, and/orby using the vector equations.

Calculating the parallax from operator locational information may beperformed using knowledge of the line-of-sight unit vector v. In someembodiments, v can be determined using a two-dimensional sensor. Forinstance, a camera mounted on the display could measure a camera vectorv_(c) from the location of the camera to the head of an operator.However, if the camera location r_(c) does not coincide with the site onthe display r for which the parallax is desired, its unit line-of-sightvector of the camera v_(c) may be slightly different from the unitline-of-sight vector v from r. In some embodiments, the camera vectorv_(c) may be used as a sufficiently accurate approximation. In otherembodiments, the camera vector v_(c) may be used to calculate the unitline-of-sight vector v from r.

For a given location of the operator's head R different sites on thedisplay surface r_(k) will each have a unique parallax valuecorresponding to their separation V_(k)=R−r_(k) from the operator. Theline-of-sight vector from a first location v₁ (and hence parallax) froma first location r₁ may not be the same as the line-of-sight vector froma second location v₂ from a second location r₂ or the same as theline-of-sight vector from the camera v_(c) from the camera locationr_(c). Thus, in many embodiments, it may be useful measure thethree-dimensional location of the head of operator R so as to allowaccurate parallaxes to be calculated for desired locations r_(k) on thedisplay. For example, a three-dimensional location sensor, such as oneor more cameras and/or range finders, may be used to determine thelocation information of the head and/or eyes of the operator.

A known alignment relationship between the touch screen and theelectronic display and knowledge of the location of the head of theoperator relative to the touch screen permits knowledge of the locationof the head (eyes) of the operator relative to that of the electronicdisplay, and vice versa. Accordingly, these pieces of information may betreated as functionally equivalent.

In some embodiments, the display surface is not planar, i.e., z and/or xand y, may vary with position r on the display. The parallax values foreach position r may be calculated using the above relations and byhaving x, y, z vary as specified functions of location r. The calculatedparallax value may be used to map a detected contact on the touchsurface to an intended contact location on the electronic display and/ora location on the touch surface perpendicular to the intended contactlocation on the electronic display.

A detected contact location by the touch implement with the touchsurface may be mapped to a perceived contact location using the parallaxvalue. At least a portion of displayed content on the electronic displaymay be offset and/or shifted based on the calculated parallax value.Multiple contact locations may be used to determine multiple perceivedcontact locations that may be used to shift a portion of the displayedcontent from a location corresponding to the first perceived contactlocation to a second perceived contact location.

Perceived contact locations of a single contact by a touch implement ata contact location on a touch surface at different times due to movementof the electronic display and/or the operator may be used to shiftdisplayed content between the various perceived contact locations. Forexample, as an operator moves, the displayed content may be shifted onthe display to maintain the displayed content in the line of sightintersecting the contact location of the touch implement on the touchsurface. Multiple perceived contact locations associated with multiplecontacts by a touch implement at various contact locations on the touchsurface may be used to perform operations, such as swipes, pinch zooms,scrolling, zooming, etc. In each of the above embodiments, one or morecalculated and/or derived parallax values may be used to determine theperceived contact locations.

Calculated parallax values may be used to derive a parallax value foreach of a plurality of potential contact locations of the touchimplement with the touch surface. Subsequently displayed objects on theelectronic display may be offset based on the calculated and/or derivedparallax values.

In some embodiments, an electronic device may include an electronicdisplay configured to display content at selectable depths usingstereopsis (associated with stereoscopically displayed content). A touchscreen digitizer having a touch surface may be aligned with theelectronic display. The digitizer may be configured to detect contactsby a touch implement with the touch surface. A parallax alignment modulemay be configured to adjust the default depth of the displayed contentto be perceived as co-planar with the touch surface. The parallaxalignment module may utilize one or more calculated and/or derivedparallax values for one or more locations on the touch surface. Theparallax values may be calculated and/or derived using any of thevarious embodiments described herein.

As described herein, one or more parallax values may be calculated usingthe displayed calibration content for one or more potential contactlocations on the touch surface of the electronic device. In someembodiments, a parallax value may be calculated for every potentialcontact location on the touch surface of the electronic device. In otherembodiments, one or more calculated parallax values for one or morecontact locations may be used to derive parallax values for one or moreother potential contact locations.

For example, parallax values may be determined for locations at the leftand right borders of a display surface, and then the parallax at pointsin between can be derived by interpolation from these two values.Similarly, parallax values near the corners or borders of the displaycan be interpolated to derive parallax values at interior points.Similarly, parallax values at interior locations can be extrapolated toouter locations, or can be interpolated to locations within regionsbetween sets of such locations (e.g., triangular regions defined by 3interior or border locations having known parallax values).

In some embodiments, one or more parallax values may be calculatedand/or derived based on location information of the operator and anangle of inclination of the stylus relative to the electronic displayand/or line of sight of an operator. Additionally, the contact region ofa finger contact with the touch surface may be offset, shifted, and/orused to offset and/or shift displayed content based on a mapping of thecontact region of the finger contact with the touch surface.

Some of the infrastructure that can be used with embodiments disclosedherein is already available, such as touch screens, digital and analogdisplays, digitizers, three-dimensional location sensors, cameras, rangesensors, accelerometers, gyroscopic devices, general-purpose computers,computer programming tools and techniques, digital storage media, andcommunication networks. A computing device may include a processor suchas a microprocessor, microcontroller, logic circuitry, or the like. Theprocessor may include a special purpose processing device such asapplication-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), programmable arraylogic (PAL), programmable logic array (PLA), programmable logic device(PLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other customizableand/or programmable device. The computing device may also include amachine-readable storage device such as non-volatile memory, static RAM,dynamic RAM, ROM, CD-ROM, disk, tape, magnetic, optical, flash memory,or other machine-readable storage medium. Various aspects of certainembodiments may be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or acombination thereof.

The embodiments of the disclosure will be best understood by referenceto the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numeralsthroughout. The components of the disclosed embodiments, as generallydescribed and illustrated in the figures herein, could be arranged anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations. Furthermore, thefeatures, structures, and operations associated with one embodiment maybe applicable to or combined with the features, structures, oroperations described in conjunction with another embodiment. In otherinstances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shownor described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of this disclosure.

Thus, the following detailed description of the embodiments of thesystems and methods of the disclosure is not intended to limit the scopeof the disclosure, as claimed, but is merely representative of possibleembodiments. In addition, the steps of a method do not necessarily needto be executed in any specific order, or even sequentially, nor do thesteps need to be executed only once.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system 100 for determining location information ofan operator 105 using a three-dimensional location sensor 155 of anelectronic device 150. The location information of the operator 105 maybe associated with the location of the head and/or eyes 107 of theoperator 105 relative to an electronic display 160 of the electronicdevice 150. The location information may be used to calculate a parallaxvalue associated with the viewing angle of the operator relative to theelectronic display 160.

The electronic display 160 may be configured to display an interactivegraphical user interface. The electronic device 150 may include a touchscreen digitizer configured to receive inputs via a touch implementcontacting a touch surface of the touch screen digitizer. The touchscreen digitizer may be integrated into the electronic display 160. Theelectronic display 160 may comprise any of a wide variety of electronicdisplays, including LCD displays, LED displays, and OLED displays.

The three-dimensional location sensor 155 may comprise one or moreoptical cameras, non-optical cameras, RADAR range sensors, LASER rangesensors, ultrasonic range sensors, focus range sensors, phase detectionsystems, contrast detection systems, active focus range sensors, and/orother sensor(s).

The three-dimensional location sensor 155 may be configured to determinelocation information of the head of the operator 105, one or more eyes107 of the operator 105, a mid-point between the eyes 107 of theoperator 105, a line of sight vector of the operator 105 to a locationon a touch surface of the electronic device 150, a closest eye 107 ofthe operator 105, and/or the location of a dominant eye 107 of theoperator 105. In some embodiments, the three-dimensional location sensor155 may utilize facial recognition to determine location information ofthe head and/or eyes 107 of the operator 105. The system may determinethat an eye 107 is closed and perform calculations based on locationinformation of the other eye of the operator 105.

FIG. 2 illustrates a system 200 in which dual three-dimensional locationsensors 255 and 257 are used to determine location information of a headand/or eyes 207 of an operator 205. An electronic device 250 may includean electronic display 260. The location information obtained using thedual three-dimensional location sensors 255 and 257 may be used tocalculate parallax values associated with the viewing angle of theoperator 205 relative to the electronic display 260. As previouslydescribed, the three-dimensional location sensors 255 and 257 mayincorporate any of a wide variety of sensor types.

The illustrated electronic device 250 is merely provided as an example.The presently described systems and methods are applicable to a widerange of display types and electronic device types, including, but notlimited to, portable electronic devices, televisions, computer monitors,mobile phones, tablets, laptops, automated teller machines, ticketbooths, electronic input machines of any variety, and/or any otherelectronic device configured with an electronic display and configuredto receive touch inputs on a display surface other than the actualsurface displaying content.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a system 300 in which a relativelylarge electronic device 350, such as an automated teller machine or aticket purchasing machine, includes a three-dimensional location sensor355 for calculating a plurality of parallax values associated with theviewing angles of the operator 305. On a large electronic display 360, aparallax value for each of the various viewing angles may be determined,either calculated or derived, as is described in greater detail below.

FIG. 4A illustrates a contact by a touch implement 475 to input anobject 492 along a line of sight of an operator 405. As illustrated, anelectronic device 450 may include an electronic display 465 and a touchsurface 470 separated by a distance. The distance may be greater orsmaller depending on the electronic device. In the illustratedembodiments, the distance is shown sufficiently large to illustrate theprinciples and objectives of the presently described systems andmethods.

According to various embodiments, the electronic display 465 may be anytype of display, including, but not limited to, an LCD display, an LEDdisplay, and/or an OLED display. The touch screen digitizer may be aseparate component from the electronic display 465 and/or may beintegral with the electronic display 465. The touch screen digitizer,including the touch surface 470, may include a resistive touch surface,a surface acoustic wave touch surface, a capacitive touch surface, aninfrared detection touch surface, and/or any other touch sensitivetechnology suitable for an electronic device 450.

The touch implement 475 is illustrated as a stylus in the variousillustrations. However, any of a wide variety of touch implements 475may be utilized, including, but not limited to, a finger of the operator405, a plurality of fingers of the operator 405, a stylus, a manuallycontrolled pointing device controlled by the operator 405, a hand of theoperator, and/or other contacting device. In some embodiments, the touchsurface 470 may be configured to receive touch inputs in anelectromagnetic form. Accordingly, the touch implement 475 may be anelectromagnetic radiation pointing device configured to impart a contactin the form of electromagnetic radiation. For example, the pointingdevice may be a LASER pointer.

The illustrated embodiment shows a line of sight connecting an eye 407of the operator 405 to a displayed object 492 on the electronic display465. The displayed object 492 is illustrated as a diamond shape.However, the displayed object 492 may be any displayed content,including, but not limited to, a signature, part of a graphical userinterface, an icon, a picture, text, a geometric shape, a button, agraphic, a slider, an image, and/or audiovisual content or controls,and/or any other displayable content or displayable object.

The illustrated embodiment shows that an operator, intending to inputthe displayed object 492 with the stylus 475, may contact the touchsurface 470 at a contact location 480 along his line-of-sight to theintended location of displayed object 492. The object 492 may bereferred to as a displayed object 492 for an object that is displayedprior to the contact with the touch surface 470 or as in input object492 for an object that is input or drawn by the contact with the touchsurface 470, or the terms may be used interchangeably. The contactlocation 480 on the touch surface 470 may correspond to a location 481on the electronic display 465 that is perpendicular to the contactlocation 480 on the touch surface 470. This can lead to the electronicdevice incorrectly inputting input object 492 at the location 481,rather than at its intended location at 492.

Accordingly, rather than incorrectly displaying the input object 492 atthe perpendicular location 491 corresponding to the perpendicularcontact location 481, a parallax value may be used to offset thedisplayed object 492 such that it is within the line of sight of theoperator 405. Thus, the input object 492 may be displayed at an intendedlocation (at 492) rather than the location 481 perpendicular to theactual contact location 480.

According to various embodiments, the parallax value may be calculatedbased on the location information of the head and/or eyes 407 of theoperator 405. A three-dimensional location sensor 455 may be used tocalculate one or more parallax values for one or more locations on thetouch surface 470. One or more additional parallax values may be derivedusing the calculated parallax value(s).

Another example of the illustrated functionality relates to the input ofa signature. If the operator 405 intended to input a signature using thestylus 475 along a horizontal line beginning at the location of theobject 492, the operator would initially contact the location 480. Ifthe signature were mapped to locations (beginning at 481) perpendicularto the contact location 480, the operator's signature would be higher onthe display than intended. By offsetting each of the contacts (beginningat 481) using the parallax values calculated and/or derived from thelocation information obtained by the three-dimensional location sensor455, the signature may be vertically offset to the intended location(beginning at 492). The signature may comprise a plurality of mappedlocations that are interpolated to form a continuous segment. Similarly,a plurality of mapped contacts may be used to generate an object offsetby the parallax value.

In other embodiments, the contact by the stylus 475 may be used togenerate a response with a graphical user interface. A response at theperpendicular location 481 would be erroneous and not intended by theoperator 405. However, by remapping the contact location 480 to thelocation (at 492) on the electronic display using the parallax value, aninput may be provided via the stylus 475 at the intended contactlocation along the line of sight of the operator 405.

In some embodiments, the contact location 480 on the contact surface 470may be directly mapped to the offset location on the electronic display465 using the parallax value. In other embodiments, the contact location480 may be mapped to an offset location on the contact surface 470 andthen perpendicularly mapped to the offset location on the electronicdisplay 465.

In addition to using the location information obtained via thethree-dimensional location sensor 455, the parallax value may becalculated, at least partially, based on the detected contact location480 on the touch surface 470 and/or a location of displayed content onthe electronic display 465.

FIG. 4B illustrates the contact location 480 of a touch implement 475remapped to correspond to the intended contact location 483 using acalculated parallax value. As illustrated, the contact location 480 maybe remapped to either the intended contact location 483 on theelectronic display 465 or to an offset location 481 on the touch surface470. The intended contact location 483 on the electronic display 465 maynot be perpendicular to the actual contact location 480 on the touchsurface. However, by remapping the contact location 480 using a parallaxvalue, the contact 480 by the operator 405 may be remapped to a location481 or 483 such that the resulting contact is effective at the intendedsite 492 along the line of sight of the operator on the electronicdisplay 465.

Comparing FIGS. 5A and 5B, it can be seen that the perceived contactlocation (at 592) of the operator 510 may not be the same as the actualcontact location 581 on the electronic display 565 (using aperpendicular mapping). As illustrated, an electronic display 550 mayinclude a three-dimensional location sensor 555 for determining locationinformation of a head and/or eye 507 of the operator 510. The electronicdisplay may include an electronic display 565 and a touch surface 570.Touch inputs via a stylus 575 or other touch implement on the touchsurface 570 may normally be perpendicularly mapped to a correspondinglocation on the electronic display 565. As illustrated in FIG. 5A,following the line of sight of the operator 510, an operator 510 may usethe stylus 575 to contact a displayed object 592. The operator mayperceive that he or she is directly contacting the displayed object 592with the tip of the stylus 575.

As illustrated in FIG. 5B, the reality is that the stylus 575 may becontacting the touch surface 570 at the location 580 that is above thelocation perpendicular to the displayed object 592 on the touch surface570. In will be appreciated by one of skill in the art that any changein the position of the operator 510 relative to the electronic device550 would alter the line of sight and the parallax effects resultingtherefrom. The contact location 580 on the touch surface may normally bemapped to the location 581 on the electronic display. However, using aparallax value, calculated and/or derived using the location informationobtained via the three-dimensional location sensor 555, the contactlocation 580 may be remapped to a location on the touch surface 570which is perpendicular to the intended object 592.

In various embodiments, the electronic device 550 (e.g., a processorwithin the electronic device) may calculate a parallax value based onthe location information of the head of the operator 510 relative to theelectronic display 565. The electronic device 550 may also map adetected contact location by the touch implement 575 with the touchsurface 570 to a perceived contact location (at 592) using thecalculated parallax value. The electronic device 550 may map the contactlocations of subsequent contacts by the touch implement 575 with thetouch surface 570 to corresponding locations on the aligned electronicdisplay 565 using the calculated parallax value.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 550 may derive one or moreadditional parallax values for one or more additional locations on theelectronic display using the location information of the head and/or eye507 of the operator 510. The electronic device 550 may utilize thederived parallax values to offset at least a portion of displayedcontent on the electronic display 565. The electronic device 550 mayutilize the derived parallax values to map the contact locations ofsubsequent contacts by the touch implement 575 with the touch surface tocorresponding locations on the aligned electronic display 565 using theplurality of parallax values. In some embodiments, the electronic device550 may derive each of the plurality of parallax values for theplurality of potential contact locations on the touch surface byinterpolating one or more parallax values calculated using the locationinformation obtained by the three-dimensional location sensor 555.

The actual contact location 580 may be mapped to the perceived contactlocation (at 592) by calculating a distance offset between the detectedcontact location 580 of the touch implement 575 with the touch surface570 and the perceived contact location (at 592) on the electronicdisplay. The distance offset may be based on the parallax angle (line ofsight) and the perpendicular separation between the touch surface 570and a surface of the electronic display 565. For example, the distanceoffset may be based on the product of the separation and a tangent of aparallax angle. The offset may comprise vertical and/or horizontalcomponents, i.e., components along in-plane unit vectors x and y.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 550 may be configured tocalculate a parallax value based on the location information of the headof the operator 510 relative to the electronic display 565 and use theparallax value to offset at least a portion of the displayed content onthe electronic display 565. The parallax value for each detected contactposition by the touch implement 575 may be different and/orindependently calculated or derived.

In some embodiments, the electronic device 550 may receive a firstcontact at a first location on the touch surface corresponding to afirst perceived contact location determined based on the locationinformation of the head of the operator 510 when the first contactlocation was received. The electronic device 550 may then receive asecond contact at a second location on the touch surface correspondingto a second perceived contact location determined based on the locationinformation of the head of the operator 510 when the second contactlocation was received.

A portion of the displayed content corresponding to the first perceivedcontact location of the touch implement with the electronic display maybe shifted from the first perceived contact location to the secondperceived contact location. Any number of subsequent contact locationsand perceived contact locations may be determined and the content may becontinually translated or incrementally translated between two or moreperceived contact locations.

In one embodiment, the electronic device 550 may be configured toreceive a contact location of the touch implement 575 with the touchsurface 570 and determine a corresponding perceived contact location (at592) of the touch implement with the electronic display 565 based onlocation information of the head and/or eyes 507 of the operator 510 ata first time. The electronic device 550 may then identify a portion ofthe displayed content corresponding to the first perceived contactlocation (at 592). The electronic device 550 may then determine a secondperceived contact location (not shown) of the touch implement 575 withthe electronic display 565 based on location information of the head ofthe operator 510 at a second time. The displayed content may then beshifted from the first perceived contact location 592 to the secondperceived contact location (not shown).

Accordingly, the operator 510 may perceive the displayed content asremaining stationary relative to the contact location of the touchimplement 575. The displayed content may be identified as being at alocation on the electronic display 565 on a line of sight between theoperator 510 and the contact location 580 of the touch implement 575with the touch surface 570. While the actual location of the displayedcontent changes as the operator's line of sight does, the operatorperceives it as stationary, because the displayed content remains on hisline of sight through the contact location 580.

FIG. 6 illustrates a graphical user interface 600 including displayedobjects 620 and 630 requesting an input from an operator via a touchimplement. In the example illustration, the graphical user interface 600includes a menu bar 610, a close box 650, and scrolling inputs 641, 640,and 642. A contact by a touch implement (e.g., a finger or stylus)anywhere on the graphical user interface 600 may be used to calculate aparallax value. However, contacts at specific locations, where it isreadily recognizable where the intended contact was, may be used toaccurately determine a parallax value for a specific contact location.Parallax values for other contact locations or even all other contactlocations may be derived using the calculated parallax values.

For example, if a user selects the submit icon 630 using a stylus, andthe actual contact location on a touch surface of the electronic deviceis to the left and above the contact location on the touch surface thatis perpendicular to the displayed submit icon 630, a parallax value maybe calculated that indicates that the operator is likely viewing thedisplay from above and to the left of a perpendicular viewing angle.Similarly, the username object 620 may be used to determine parallaxvalues for associated contacts. In like manner, a contact with any of awide variety of icons, objects, or other displayable content may be usedto calculate parallax values. In some embodiments, the displayablecontent may incorporate smaller-sized aim-points within a larger-sizedcontent region, allowing higher precision parallax values to becalculated.

In various embodiments, the parallax values calculated and derivedduring a calibration mode may be unobtrusive and/or not apparent to theuser at all. For example, an operator may select the scroll down icon642 to scroll a page. A contact by a touch implement near the arrow forthe scroll down icon 642 may be associated with an intended contactlocation corresponding to a location on the touch surface perpendicularto the scroll down icon 642. Any offset in the actual contact by thetouch implement on the touch surface near the intended contact locationmay be used to calculate a parallax value.

Thus, a parallax calculation module (potentially comprising instructionswithin computer readable memory and/or media that are executable by aprocessor) may display a plurality of touch-inducement objects (e.g.,username icon/object 620 and submit icon/object 630) within a graphicaluser interface 600. The intended contact locations may be readilyapparent and assumed to be contact locations on the touch surfaceperpendicular to the displayed objects 620, 630, 640, 641, and/or 642.

A comparison of an actual contact location on the touch surface and theapparent intended contact location may be used to calculate distanceoffsets between each of the plurality of contact locations of the touchimplement with the touch surface and the respective intended contactlocations. The parallax calculation module may thereby calculateparallax values for each of the plurality of contact locations of thetouch implement with the touch surface using the calculated distanceoffsets.

In some embodiments, parallax values for each of a plurality ofpotential contact locations may be derived using the calculated parallaxvalues and/or calculated distance offsets. Subsequent contacts and/ordisplayed content may be offset and/or shifted using the calculatedand/or derived parallax values.

FIG. 7 illustrates another example of a graphical user interface 701displaying touch-inducement objects 721 and 731. As previouslydescribed, displayed objects inducing an operator to provide a touchcontact via a touch implement at a specific location may be used todetermine a distance offset between the contact location perpendicularto the displayed object and the actual contact location of the touchimplement. The distance offset may correspond to the line of sight ofthe operator relative to the display surface of the electronic device.The distance offset may be used to determine a parallax value associatedwith the contact location and potentially allow parallax values of othercontact locations to be derived.

In some embodiments, the graphical user interface may be configured todisplay a sequence of objects in various locations each requesting acontact input. The sequence of objects may be displayed as part of alogin process, an initiation process, and/or other normal usage process.

FIG. 8 illustrates a drawing interface 810 configured to allow anoperator to draw and/or create other graphical objects. In oneembodiment, the user may begin by selecting a start icon 880. In orderto begin drawing a user may then select a line width 830, a shading 820,a controller 840, and/or other icon, such as the finished icon 850, drawicon 860, and/or erase icon 870. The electronic device may associate anintended contact location on a touch surface with each of the displayedicons at locations perpendicular to the displayed icons. Thus, forexample, if a user selects the thickest line thickness at 830, theelectronic device may compare the detected contact location of a touchimplement on the touch surface with the intended contact location todetermine a distance offset between the two.

The distance offset may then be used to calculate a parallax value.Similarly, as the user continues to draw and select various icons,additional parallax values may be calculated for various locations onthe touch surface. One or more calculated parallax values may be used todetermine (e.g., derive via interpolation) parallax values for anynumber of potential contact locations. In some embodiments, asadditional calculated parallax values are obtained, the derived parallaxvalues may be continually or conditionally updated.

In some embodiments, the update may simply replace older values withnewer ones. Alternatively, the update may involve averaging the newervalue with previously derived parallax values at the same, or nearby,locations. Such averages may give more weight to more recently derivedparallax values. In some embodiments, thetime-since-last-parallax-derivation may be used to direct the graphicaluser interface to display an object requesting a contact input. Suchdeterminations may be location-based. For example, a system maydetermine that the left side of the display has not derived a newparallax value for a predetermined time (e.g., 10 minutes) and sorequest (unobtrusively or not) a touch input on that side of thedisplay.

In some embodiments, the update can be based on changes in theorientation of the electronic display (e.g., as determined by on-boardaccelerometers). In some embodiments, newer parallax values areprioritized or given additional weight when they are sufficientlydifferent from previously determined ones. Drastic changes in calculatedparallax values may be indicative of a change in the location of anoperator's head and/or in the orientation of the electronic display.

In some embodiments, a user must select one or more of these icons inorder to begin drawing. In other embodiments, the user may begindrawing, but as he or she continues drawing and selecting icons, theaccuracy of the contacts and/or displayed content may be improved asparallax values are calculated and/or derived for various contactlocations.

FIG. 9 illustrates an electronic device 950 configured to calculate oneor more parallax values using location information of an operator 910 inconjunction with an angle of inclination α of a touch implement 975relative to an electronic display 965. As may be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the line of sight of the operator 910 to a displayedobject and/or contact location 992 may intersect a contact point 980 ofthe touch implement 975. The line of sight of the operator may intersecta location on the touch implement 975 other than the actual contactlocation 980 of the touch implement 975 depending on the shape, size,and dimensions of the touch implement 975 as well as the angle ofinclination α of the touch implement 975 relative to the touch surface970.

For example, in the illustrated embodiment, the touch implement 975 mayhave a tapered point and the line of sight may intersect the broad,un-tapered portion of the touch implement 975. The angle of inclinationα of the touch implement may affect the resulting parallax effect of theviewing angle of the operator 910 using the touch implement 975.Accordingly, the electronic device 950 may utilize a location sensor 955(in some embodiments it may be a three-dimensional location sensor) todetermine location information of the head and/or eyes 907 of theoperator 910. The location information may be used to determine adistance offset between a contact location 980 of the touch implementand an intended contact location 981 perpendicular to the displayedobject 992. The distance offset between the contact locations 980 and981 may be used to calculate a parallax value for the contact location.Additionally, the angle of inclination α may also be used to calculateand/or adjust the parallax value for the contact location.

A contact location and/or a displayed object may be shifted and/oroffset based on the calculated parallax value. In some embodiments, thecontact location 980 may be mapped to the contact location 981 on thetouch surface using the parallax value. The contact location 981 maythen be mapped or interpreted as contacting the displayed object orcontact location 992 on the electronic display. Alternatively, thecontact location 980 may be directly mapped or interpreted as contactingthe displayed object or contact location 992.

In various embodiments, the touch implement 975 may be a finger, astylus, and/or other touch implement as described herein. The electronicdevice 950 may include a touch implement inclination detection systemconfigured to determine the angle of inclination α of the touchimplement 975. For example, the touch implement 975 may include anaccelerometer and be configured to communicate with the electronicdevice 550. The touch implement may additionally or alternativelyinclude a gyroscope, a plurality of accelerometers, a camera, a magneticdetection system, and/or other sensory system or communication systemfor determining an angle of inclination and communicating a determinedangle of inclination to the electronic device. In some embodiments, theelectronic device 950 may include one or more cameras, magneticdetection systems, and/or other sensory equipment for determining theangle of inclination α of the touch implement 975.

FIG. 10A illustrates a finger contact 1025 of a finger 1020 of anoperator 1010 along a line of sight of the eye 1007 of the operator 1010with a displayed object 1090. As illustrated, the perpendicular drawingperspective shows that the finger contact 1025 is to the right of theactual displayed object 1090. However, from the angled view of theoperator 1010, the finger contact 1025 may appear to be on top of thedisplayed object 1090. As described in various embodiments herein, aparallax value may be calculated (or previously calculated) and used tooffset the finger contact 1025 and/or the displayed object 1090. Forexample, a parallax value may be calculated based on locationinformation of the operator 1010 obtained via a location sensor 1055.The location sensor 1055 may be a three-dimensional location sensor.

FIG. 10B illustrates the finger contact 1025 remapped to the contactlocation 1026 perpendicular to the displayed object 1090 using acalculated parallax value based on three-dimensional locationinformation of the operator 1010. As illustrated in both FIGS. 10A and10B, the finger contact 1025 of the finger 1020 may not be very precise(illustrated as the fingerprint). Accordingly, it may be useful todetermine a centroid or other precise location using the finger contact1025.

FIG. 10C illustrates a centroid of the finger contact 1025 being mappedfrom the actual contact location on the touch surface 1060 to thecontact location perpendicular to the displayed object 1090 on the touchsurface 1060. According to various embodiments, the electronic device1050 may identify a plurality of contact points within a contact regionof a finger contact 1025 with the touch surface 1060 and map thelocation of each of the plurality of contact points of the fingercontact 1025 with the touch surface 1060 to a location on the electronicdisplay using one or more parallax values.

The plurality of contact points of the finger contact 1025 that aremapped may be on the perimeter of the contact region of the fingercontact with the touch surface. In other embodiments, the mapped contactpoints may exclude contact points on the perimeter of the contact regionof the finger contact 1025, may be arbitrarily selected within thecontact region, may be randomly selected within the contact region, maybe selected with bias toward selecting contact points toward a centroidof the contact region, and/or may be selected with bias toward theperimeter of the contact region.

The determination that the contact region of the finger contact 1025intersects an actionable target region of the touch screen can be basedon the degree of overlap between the contact region of the fingercontact 1025 and the target region, rather than simply defining acentroid for the finger contact 1025 and determining whether or not itlies within the target region. In some embodiments, portions (such asdiscussed above) of the full contact region of the finger contact 1025may be used for such overlap calculations.

This disclosure has been made with reference to various exemplaryembodiments, including the best mode. However, those skilled in the artwill recognize that changes and modifications may be made to theexemplary embodiments without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure. While the principles of this disclosure have been shown invarious embodiments, many modifications of structure, arrangements,proportions, elements, materials, and components may be adapted for aspecific environment and/or operating requirements without departingfrom the principles and scope of this disclosure. These and otherchanges or modifications are intended to be included within the scope ofthe present disclosure.

The foregoing specification has been described with reference to variousembodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciatethat various modifications and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, this disclosureis to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense,and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scopethereof. Likewise, benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problemshave been described above with regard to various embodiments. However,benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) that maycause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, a required, or anessential feature or element. The scope of the present invention should,therefore, be determined by the following claims.

1. An electronic device, comprising: an electronic display configured todisplay content; a touch screen digitizer having a touch surface alignedwith the electronic display, the digitizer configured to detect acontact by a touch implement with the touch surface; a touch implementinclination detection system configured to determine an angle ofinclination of the touch implement relative to a normal of a plane ofthe electronic display; a user location determination system configuredto determine location information of an operator relative to theelectronic display; and a computer readable storage medium storinginstructions that, when executed by a processer, are configured to causethe processor to: calculate a parallax value based on the locationinformation of the operator relative to the electronic display and theangle of inclination of the touch implement; and map a detected contactlocation by the touch implement with the touch surface to a location onthe aligned electronic display using the calculated parallax value. 2.The device of claim 1, wherein touch surface of the touch screendigitizer is planar, wherein the electronic display is planar, andwherein the planer touch surface is parallel to the planar electronicdisplay.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein touch surface of the touchscreen digitizer forms a curved surface aligned with the electronicdisplay.
 4. The device of claim 3, wherein electronic display is planar.5. The device of claim 1, wherein the instructions, when executed by aprocessor, are configured to cause the processor to map the detectedcontact location to a location on the aligned electronic display byfirst mapping the detected contact location to a perceived contactlocation on the touch surface and then mapping the mapped contactlocation on the touch surface perpendicularly to the aligned electronicdisplay. 6.-8. (canceled)
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein theinstructions, when executed by a processor, are further configured to:map a plurality of detected contact locations by the touch implementwith the touch surface to a plurality of locations on the alignedelectronic display using the calculated parallax value.
 10. (canceled)11. The device of claim 9, wherein the instructions, when executed by aprocessor, are further configured to: generate an object within thedisplayed content for display on the electronic display corresponding tothe plurality of mapped locations.
 12. The device of claim 11, whereinthe object comprises a signature. 13.-21. (canceled)
 22. The device ofclaim 1, wherein a user location determination system comprises alocation sensor configured to detect location information of a head ofthe operator. 23.-35. (canceled)
 36. The device of claim 22, wherein theinstructions are further configured to cause the processer to: determinea line of sight between the head of the operator and the electronicdisplay that intersects a portion of the touch implement different thana contact point of a tip of the touch implement; calculate the parallaxvalue further based on a location on the touch surface intersected bythe determined line of sight in addition to the location information ofthe operator relative to the electronic display and the angle ofinclination of the touch implement. 37.-38. (canceled)
 39. The device ofclaim 36, wherein the portion of the touch implement different than acontact point of a tip of the touch implement comprises a portion near arounded tip of a touch implement.
 40. The device of claim 36, whereinthe portion of the touch implement different than a contact point of atip of the touch implement comprises a transition point between a tip ofa touch implement and a shaft of a touch implement. 41.-67. (canceled)68. The device of claim 5, wherein the instructions are configured tocause the processor to calculate a parallax value by calculating adistance offset between a detected contact location of the touchimplement with the touch surface and a perceived contact location.69.-107. (canceled)
 108. A method, comprising: displaying content via anelectronic display; detecting a contact by a touch implement with atouch surface of a touch screen digitizer, wherein the touch surface isaligned with the electronic display; determining an angle of inclinationof a touch implement relative to a normal of a plane of the electronicdisplay via a touch implement inclination detection system; determininglocation information of an operator relative to the electronic displayvia a user location determination system; calculating a parallax valuebased on the location information of the operator relative to theelectronic display and the angle of inclination of the touch implement;and mapping the detected contact location by the touch implement withthe touch surface to a location on the aligned electronic display usingthe calculated parallax value. 109.-124. (canceled)
 125. The method ofclaim 108, further comprising: deriving a second parallax value for asecond location on the electronic display using the location informationof the operator, where the second location is different than thedetected contact location of the touch implement with the electronicdisplay; and 126.-127. (canceled)
 128. The method of claim 108, furthercomprising: calculating the parallax value further based on the locationof the detected contact location by the touch implement with the touchsurface in addition to the location information of the operator relativeto the electronic display and the angle of inclination of the touchimplement. 129.-158. (canceled)
 159. The method of claim 108, wherein auser location determination system comprises a calibration systemconfigured to determine location information of the operator by:receiving a contact location of the touch implement with the touchsurface; identifying an intended contact location on the electronicdisplay corresponding to the contact location of the touch implementwith the touch surface; and deriving location information of theoperator based on a comparison of the intended contact location on theelectronic display and a detected contact location on the touch surface.160. The method of claim 159, wherein receiving the contact locationcomprises receiving a selection of an object displayed on the electronicdisplay; and wherein identifying an intended contact location on theelectronic display comprises selecting a location on the touch surfacecorresponding to the location of the displayed object. 161.-191.(canceled)
 192. The method of claim 108, wherein the angle ofinclination of the touch implement relative to the normal of the planeof the electronic display comprises an angle of inclination comprisingboth horizontal directional components and vertical directionalcomponents. 193.-210. (canceled)
 211. An electronic device, comprising:an electronic display configured to display content; a touch screendigitizer having a touch surface aligned with the electronic display,the digitizer configured to detect a contact by a finger with the touchsurface; a parallax calculation module configured to calculate aparallax value for a contact by a finger with the touch surface relativeto the electronic display; and a finger contact mapping moduleconfigured to: identify a plurality of contact points within a contactregion of a finger contact with the touch surface; and map the locationof each of the plurality of contact points of the finger contact withthe touch surface to a location on the aligned electronic display usingthe parallax value.
 212. The device of claim 211, wherein touch surfaceof the touch screen digitizer is planar, wherein the electronic displayis planar, and wherein the planer touch surface is parallel to theplanar electronic display. 213.-214. (canceled)
 215. The device of claim211, wherein the instructions, when executed by a processor, areconfigured to cause the processor to map each of the plurality ofcontact points of the finger contact to a location on the alignedelectronic display by first mapping each of the plurality of contactpoints of the finger contact to a perceived contact location on thetouch surface and then mapping the mapped contact locations on the touchsurface perpendicularly to the aligned electronic display.
 216. Thedevice of claim 211, wherein the plurality of contact points are on aperimeter of the contact region of the finger contact with the touchsurface. 217.-222. (canceled)
 223. The device of claim 211, wherein theparallax calculation module is configured to calculate the parallaxvalue based on location information of an operator relative to theelectronic display, and wherein the location information of the operatoris determined by a location determination system. 224.-278. (canceled)279. The device of claim 211, wherein the finger contact mapping moduleis further configured to: identify an operational contact location ofthe finger on the electronic display corresponding to a detected contactregion of the finger with the touch surface.
 280. The device of claim279, wherein the finger contact mapping module is further configured toidentify an operational contact location of the finger on the electronicdisplay by identifying an overlap of the mapped location of contactpoints on the aligned electronic display with a touch-indication region.281. The device of claim 279, wherein the finger contact mapping moduleis further configured to identify an intended contact location of thefinger on the electronic display by identifying a centroid of the mappedlocation of contact points on the aligned electronic display. 282.-285.(canceled)
 286. The device of claim 279, wherein the plurality ofcontact points are selected with bias toward selecting contact pointstoward a centroid of the contact region of the finger contact with thetouch surface. 287.-289. (canceled)
 290. A method, comprising:displaying content via an electronic display; detecting a contact by afinger with a touch surface of a touch screen digitizer, wherein thetouch surface is aligned with the electronic display; calculating atleast one parallax value for contacts by a finger with a touch surfacerelative to the electronic display via a parallax calculation module;identifying a plurality of contact points within a contact region of thefinger contact with the touch surface; and mapping the location of eachof the plurality of contact points of the finger contact with the touchsurface to a location on the aligned electronic display using the atleast one calculated parallax value. 291.-293. (canceled)
 294. Themethod of claim 290, wherein mapping the detected contact location to alocation on the aligned electronic display comprises first mapping thedetected contact location to a perceived contact location on the touchsurface and then mapping the mapped contact location on the touchsurface perpendicularly to the aligned electronic display.
 295. Themethod of claim 290, wherein the plurality of contact points excludecontact points on a perimeter of the contact region of the fingercontact with the touch surface.
 296. The method of claim 290, whereinthe plurality of contact points are arbitrarily selected within thecontact region of the finger contact with the touch surface. 297.-300.(canceled)
 301. The method of claim 290, wherein calculating theparallax value comprises calculating the parallax value based onlocation information of an operator relative to the electronic display,and wherein the location information of the operator is determined by alocation determination system. 302.-326. (canceled)
 327. The method ofclaim 301, wherein a user location determination system comprises acalibration system for determining location information of the operatorby: receiving a contact location of the finger with the touch surface;identifying an intended contact location on the electronic displaycorresponding to the contact location of the finger with the touchsurface; and deriving location information of the operator based on acomparison of the intended contact location on the electronic displayand a detected contact location on the touch surface.
 328. The method ofclaim 327, wherein receiving the contact location comprises receiving aselection of an object displayed on the electronic display; and whereinidentifying an intended contact location on the electronic displaycomprises selecting a location on the touch surface corresponding withthe location of the displayed object. 329.-356. (canceled)
 357. Themethod of claim 290, further comprising: identifying an operationalcontact location of the finger on the electronic display correspondingto a detected contact region of the finger with the touch surface.358.-363. (canceled)
 364. The method of claim 357, wherein the pluralityof contact points are selected with bias toward selecting contact pointstoward a centroid of the contact region of the finger contact with thetouch surface.
 365. The method of claim 357, wherein the plurality ofcontact points are selected with bias toward the interior of the contactregion of the finger contact with the touch surface. 366.-369.(canceled)